LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rock For Dimes & Battle Of The Bands) And More!!

Before we get to the meat of this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed show on here, as local classic/hard rock quartet RPM returned to the stage to make their Rednecks Saloon debut on October 24th, as per the venue's Facebook page. That completely slipped us by last month, but with RPM lacking an online page that I know of (and already playing only here and there), there were less ways to hear about it. Still, our sincere apologies to the band and their fans, hopefully we hear about their next gigs! Now, here's a stacked new post featuring LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for two linked concerts on the same day that should definitely be followed, plus some more updates!

For the first time since last year's Viva La Battle, Sault Ontario will get a battle of the bands as part of this year's second annual Rock For Dimes fundraiser event this coming Friday! Actually, you'll get TWO concerts on Friday if you wait it out, so here's what you should know! Completely expanded from the first regional Rock For Dimes in March 2013 (where the only bands were Redundant and the sporadically seen RPM), the event moves from The Grand Gardens to The Delta Waterfront Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn) at 208 St Mary's River Drive this year, but like before, this event is a major fundraiser for the March of Dimes and their ongoing work in improving the health of pregnant women, mothers, and babies, which is a great cause! If last year is any indication, there will also be presentations, draws, and an auction between and bookending the bands to help the effort, and you can visit the above links for more public information on the event in general!

The battle of the bands itself will be at 5:00 PM on Friday, and is geared towards high school and youth bands, with only one band publically confirmed for it at present, that being local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control. They've been on a solid rise so far since their launch, and here's hoping they put on a good show at the battle on Friday! The other competing bands have not been announced, though a second slot is reportedly going to a band led by a young local musician named Damon King (thanks to Rick White from the later lineup for the info!) I don't have much else on Damon's band yet, but they could be the same metal band that he and former Social Suicide member Anthony Boudreau were looking for musicians for on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group in September. If we hear anything, we'll keep you posted! At last word, promoters are still looking for one more youth band to play the battle, so contact promoters at the Facebook event page for details!

Prizes for winning or placing bands haven't been announced other than to say that the winning band will play an encore set at around 7:30 PM on Friday (thanks again, Rick!), which will lead right into the showcase concert for non-youth bands, of which there are 6. They include local punk trio Redundant (the only returning band from last year's Rock For Dimes), local classic/hard rock cover quintet The Thrill Junkies (in their first live concert set in 10 months), newer alternative/jazz rock quartet Mannapool, local country/rock cover trio Mourning Wood, local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith, and local funk/alternative rock favourites The Elements, so that's a diverse lineup with some familiar faces! Also, kudos to bassist James White, who will be playing with all three of his current bands (Redundant, The Elements, and Haggith) on Friday! Each band will play a short set on Friday, with battle competitors getting 20 minute sets, and older bands getting 25 minutes each.

A jam session of some type will close this year's Rock For Dimes, and admission for each of the two halves of the night will be $5 for the battle, and $15 for the later bands, and you can buy tickets online "from" individual bands at this link, or presumably at the door. Advertising also notes that a youth ticket plus a toy or food donation will get you entry for the later adult bands, so keep that deal in mind as well, though it may only apply to "youth" attendees. For all current public details, visit the above links! Everything sounds bigger and better for the second local Rock For Dimes event, and it's nice to see so many bands joining together for the cause! The double concert format is a little odd, especially when seeing the adult bands in a battle would be cool, but I get the focus on high school acts for their own battle, and a win would be a nice feather in the cap for their development!

Also, it'll be nice to have a battle of the bands at the former Holiday Inn for the first time since Bon Soo's old battles, so if you miss that annual event, be at The Delta Waterfront Suites THIS FRIDAY! Stay tuned for more public updates as they roll in!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

• I've switched The Canadian Nightclub's link in our active concert venue listings from their older inactive Facebook group to their more active current Facebook group. Not a huge change, but it helps to have the most accurate updated links on the site!
• Local hardcore punk favourites Destroilet have been forced to drop out of their opening set at The Bear Hunters' CD release concert at The Canadian on November 29th due to "unforseen work circumstances" for an unidentified band member, as per Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie on the Facebook event page on Tuesday. Disappointing, but we'll see the guys again soon, and if you or your band want to open for this big show at month's end, message The Bear Hunters at the above links!
• Local classic metal quartet Project 421 have been announced to fill in for the aforementioned Elements at Sault Band-O-Rama at The Primavera Hall due to bassist James White's work commitments, as per the Facebook event page and a Musicians Wanted Facebook group thread, though this surprisingly won't affect Redundant & Haggith's sets. Disappointing, but don't miss The Elements on Friday at Rock For Dimes, and it's nice to see James' Haggith bandmate Daniel Horton fill in for him with Project 421!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more big news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!